Store-service apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. M. BURNS. STORE SERVICE APPARATUS. No. 502,395. Pat ented Aug.1,;1893.

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T T M \i H T A N W A 1 \k I m 11 kl i A W gim 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. M.BURNS. STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

o. 502,395. A Patented Augngl, 1893.

'UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. BURNS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE IIAMSON CON-SOLIDATED STORE SERVICE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 502,395, dated August 11893.

Application filed October 5, 1891. Serial No. 407,742. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES M. BURNS, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Im- 5 provement inStore 7 Service Apparatus, of which the following, taken in connectionwith Elle accompanying drawings, is a specifica- My invention relates todevices for transferring the carrier from the forwarding to the returntrack of package and cash carriers, of the type set forth and describedin my application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No.387,088, filed May 31, 1891.

In the apparatus set forth in the above mentioned application there isemployed a two-track apparatus, the tracks being located one above theother but in different vertical planes, the upper track being used toconvey the carriers to the cashier or wrapping department, and the lowertrack for returning them to the salesman. At intervals along thesetracks stations are arranged and elevators employed at said stations sothat the cars are raised to the dispatching track and lowered fromswitch tracks of the return track.

My present invention relates particularly to a device for transferringthe carrier with its basket from the upper or forwarding track 0 to thelower or return track at the cashiers or wrapping department, avoidingthe necessity of removing the carrier from the forwarding track andreplacing it on the return track after the removal, wrapping up ofgoods, and 3 5 return of the same to the proper station.

My invention consists of certain novel fea:

tures of construction hereinafter described and particularly set forthin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention,Figure 1 isan end view of the apparatus taken at the cashiers or wrappingdepartment showing the transfer carriage as starting from the forwardingtoward the return track. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the forwardingtrack, the return track and the transfer carriage, the carriage beingshown as starting from the forwarding track toward the return track.Fig.3 is a plan view of the carriage. Fig. A is a side view of thedevice attached to the forwarding track for stopping the carrier as itapproaches the track section of the transfer carriage. Fig. 5 is a planview of the same device. Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line 50-00 ofFig. 4. Figs. 7and 8 illustrate a detail hereinafter described. 5 5

Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the severalviews.

In the said drawings, A represents the forwarding track, B the returntrack, and O O hangers for supporting the said tracks. Near the lowerend of each of said hangers is secured an arm D having an'extension D atright angles to it. The rods E extend between said extension D, and uponsaid rods a transfer carriage is adapted to travel from the upper orforwarding track A to the lower or return track B. A cushion D ofrubber, is placed at the upper and lower ends of the said inclined rodsE. The transfer carriage F is formed by the lower sides F and uppersides F Between these sides the braces F and F respectively extend forholding them in their proper position. A track section F is secured tothe sides F of the carriage and is adapted to align with the forwardingtrack Also receive the carrier and after the same has been received bythetransfer carriage, to transfer it to the lower or return track.Rollers F are journaled in the bearings in the upper sides F of thetransfer carriage and roll along said rods E as the carriage moves fromthe upper track A to the lower track B.

From a projection F in the top brace F of the transfer carriage, extendsa rope F around a pulley F attached to the upper extension D of the armD; said rope then extends upwardly around pulley G and downwardly toweight H to which it is secured. An extension F is secured to the outerend of the track section F to prevent the carrier from running off. Theweight II is sufficient to hold the transfer carriage in its upperposition, that is with the track section F in alignment with theforwarding track A so as to receive the carrier coming along saidforwarding track but when the carrier with its load is upon the tracksection F the weight of said carrier and load is sufficient to cause thetransfer carriage to move along the rods E toward the return track B,the difference ICO in weight being such as to cause the said transfercarriage to travel gradually from one track to the other. I onto thereturn track from the track section of the transfer carriage the weightH falls and thereby draws the said carriage upward -along the ways Euntil the track section is in alignment with the forwarding track.

The weight H has projections H at its top and bottom and is adapted totravel on guide i rodsI which extend from the upper arm J secured to theupper end of the hanger C, to

the lower arm D also secured near the bottom of said hanger. A rod Kpasses through prowarding track A. A rod L is pivotally secured at L tothe bottom of the hanger O and is gradually inclined toward the lowerend of The free end rests inan opening M of the sleeve M; thespring-pressed rod 'M is pivoted in the outer extension of" the sleeve land its upper end has a prothe hanger O.

jection which'normally extends over the free end of said rod L so as tohold it in its place.

A spring M throws the lower end of the? arm M outwardly and therebyholds the upi per projection of said arm over the rod L.

'When the carrier passes from the forward- 1 ing track A onto the tracksection F of the f transfer carriage, the rod L prevents the saidcarrier from running off one end of said track 1 section F and theextension F on the other end of the track section f prevents the carrierfrom running off that end, so that the. transfer carriage with thecarrier travels downward until the track section F is in alignment withreturn track B.

When the transfer carriage and the carrier have reached the lowerposition as above stated, the carrier can be removed if desired, i bypressing the arm M inward to release the I free end of the rod L, whenthe latter may be swung upward to release the carrier and the goods canbe wrapped up and returned to the basket and the carrier started on itsreturn trip, as the loop L? at the lower end of rod L allows the carrierto pass along the return track 13 from the track section F.

A projection N extends from the side of the transfer carriage and isadapted to come in contact with the upper end of the rod K when thetransfer carriage approaches the returning track A, and when the tracksection F5 is in alingn ent with the track A, the rod K is entirelywithdrawn from its extension through the opening K in the track A sothat the carrier will be allowed to pass onto the track section.

In order to check the impetus of the carrier as it approaches thestation Where the trans- When the carrier passes I fer carriageislocated, I have provided the follaw-ing device: The stop device 0 issecured to the inner side of the forwarding track A by arms P and P;rods 1" and P3 extend between said arms P and P and act as side guidesfor the carrier. At the top of the arm P, near its center, is provided aprojection P at the outer end of which is pivoted the rod P whichextends toward the arm P and thence upwardly and moves loosely in aprojection P A pin P extends through the upper end of the said rod P andis adapted to bear upon the projection P when the rod P is in its lowerposition.

As shown in Fig. 4 as the carriage approaches the stop device 0, thewheels come in contact with the rod P so that the carriage is stopped.hen it is desired to allow the carrier with its load to proceed on thetrack A, the'operator throws the handle Q upwardly as shown in dottedlines in Fig. 4, so thatthe carriage as it moves along owing to theweight in its basket, will lift the rod P as shown in dotted lines androll along the track A so that if the track section is in alignment withthe forwarding track A, said carrier will pass onto the track section,but if it is not in alignment, the rod K projecting through the openingK in the track A, will prevent the inward movement of the carrier untilthe track section of the carriage is in alignment with the said track Inot limit y el t the ex t c n truetions shown as the same may be variedwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus ascertained the nature and set forth the construction of myinvention,

= with said tracks in its upper and lower positions for transferring thecarrier from the forar ack to e r u n t ack, i n d ways upon which saidcarriage travels bet n s d t ac s, a automati a ly a uat d mechanism r rgu tin he rav l o th carriage from the forwarding to the return track,substantially as set forth.

2. In a store service apparatus provided with forwarding and returntracks secured to hangers, a transfer carriage adapted to align withsaid forwarding and return" tracks in its upper and lower positions andfor transferring the carrier from the upper to the lower ac a d a rod xtn t en sai han ers for preventing the removal of the carrier,substantially as set forth.

3- 1 a Store Servic pp atu n ov d rl' with forwarding and return trackssecured to hangers, a transfer carriage adapted to align with saidforwarding and return tracks in its upper and lower positions and fortransfer ring the carrier from the upper to the lower track a weight fortransferring the carriage from one track to the other, and a rod pivotedto the lower end of one hanger and held in place on the other hanger bya springpressed arm so as to prevent the displace- 5 ment of thecarrier,substantially as set forth.

4. In a store service apparatus having forwarding and return tracks, atransfer carriage having a track section adapted to align respectivelywith said tracks in its upper and to lower positions, and Ways uponwhich the said carriage travels between said tracks, substantially asset forth. i

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 18th day 15 of August, A.D. 1891.

JAMES M. BURNS. Witnesses:

E. L. HARLOW, A. F. ACTON.

